The water crisis Cape Town and its people are facing is one that will require the co-operation of every single consumer of this irreplaceable resource.
Many appeals have been made to save water, while several ventures have been undertaken to mitigate the impact of a crippling drought.
The problem has also become politicised. The DA has blamed the national government for the crisis, while the ANC has slammed the DA which controls the city.
RELATED: Join our #EveryDropCounts campaign and be water-wise
Meanwhile, some consumers continue wasting water like there’s no tomorrow. Many do so purely because they have the money to pay for water they use.
To them, we say: "What you do is the epitome of stupidity. What use will all your money be when there’s no water to pay for?"
On the other hand, many people have gone into panic mode by trying to stock up as much bottled water as they can. Retailers are making a killing and the price of bottled water has soared.
There is no need for this drama. What is needed is a collective acknowledgement that we are in the grip of a drought and our water supply is running out.
This acknowledgement must be followed by collectively taking responsibility to use water sparingly and to raise awareness.
No amount of politicking, panic buying and finger-pointing is going to get us out of this pickle. We’re in it together, and together we can overcome what is a very serious challenge.
RELATED: #WaterCrisis: Public figures join the Cape Argus #EveryDropCounts saving drive
The Mother City‘s people have a remarkable track record of standing together and reaching out when there’s a problem. Now is the time to do so again.
This newspaper has launched #EveryDropCounts - a campaign to create an awareness that water has no substitute and for all consumers to pledge that they’ll do what it takes to preserve water. We call on the business sector, community leaders, religious leaders, the sports and recreation sector as well as all pupils and students to help spread the word.
When the crisis is eventually over, all the people of this beautiful city should be able to proudly say: "We did it”. And when we head into the future, we can take along the lesson that water is a gift of life and must always be treasured.